Regretful and willful
by Yakamaniac
Summary: Peeta is forced into a diffrent life when he ensure his life he agree's to go with the deadly career from two and the two are crowned victors. Peeta x Cato.
1. Chapter 1

**Regretful and willful **

Chapter 1

"Come on Peeta, run!" Katniss yelled over the yells and roars of the mutts.

The blonde baker followed behind her as they ran as quickly as they could away from the terrifying beasts. The two ran as fast as they could through the forest, the moon was out and the sky was dark.

Until, through a gap in the tree's they spotted the cornucopia. They ran to the edge, Katniss was the first to jump up and attempt to make her way to the top.

She tried to pull Peeta up along with her, it took an immense amount of effort but she managed to bring him to safety. Or so they thought.

The two had but a moments rest when Peeta felt something large grab him, and then throw him across to the other side of the structure, hitting the metal with a thud.

"Katniss!" Peeta feebly yelled.

Peeta watched as Katniss was easily overpowered by the large brute from two. He was bleeding heavily, with deep scratches covering most of his body.

The baker finally got the strength to jump up, he ran over to try and save Katniss but unfortunately; Cato shoved Peeta back to the ground.

Katniss wriggled and kicked to try and free herself from the brutes grasp, but it was pointless. She could only see her death arriving in a matter of seconds. She had disappointed everyone back home, Prim, her mother, Gale and everyone else.

Cato roared as he pulled her up with his hand secured tightly around her neck.

Peeta jumped up and began to run over but, he regretfully watched the career throw Katniss off the edge of the cornucopia. It was too late.

Katniss was gone.

She was mutt food.

Peeta heard the girl's screams only for a second before the sound of feeding mutts covered up her shouts of terror as they sunk their teeth into her skin.

"Katniss!" Peeta projected as he ran to the edge with tears welling up in his eyes and rage building up.

But that was only for a second, he turned and faced Cato; who had his fists clenched and his face filled with anger. It drained the baker of his emotion and left him terrified.

Cato turned to Peeta, his face immediately softening with a woozy smile. "Peeta" The career muttered under his breath. He inspected Peeta and his emotion, not the response he wanted. Cato filled with rage once again.

"You have two choices. You belong to me or you belong to the mutts."

"W-what?" Peeta questioned.

"Be mine or mutt food" Cato stepped forward.

"_What the hell"_ The baker thought. He wasn't sure how to reply, along with not fully understanding what the brute meant. He stood, stunned not sure what to say or do. But Peeta didn't have very long to think as he was pulled out of thought when he felt fingers wrap around his neck.

"I can go home, I can go back alone. Or you can go too, choose. Now" Cato said, with a stern face.

"But you've just killed her!" Peeta yelled as he tried to escape.

The career tightened his fist, taking the air away from Peeta's lungs.

The baker had to think fast, it was either die here or go home and face the consequences. "Ok!" He choked out. "I'll do it"

A small smile perched on the brute's lips as he pulled Peeta away from the edge and into the centre of the cornucopia.

"Mine!" He growled as he pulled Peeta close into a tight restriction. "All mine"

The cannon finally sounds and the dark sky above them cleared along with the mutts. Everything was silent. Not even the wind was blowing.

A loud roaring sound fills their ears and a shadow is cascaded on the ground.

"I would like to present the victors of the seventy fourth annual hunger games!" The pronouncer cheers.

"_Wait, but there are two of us?" _Peeta mumbled.

The next little while is a blur; all Peeta can recall are doctors and white rooms.

He slowly opened his eyes to find Haymitch, his mentor sitting on a chair next to his bed. But he seems off, like something's bugging him.

The drunk turned and faced the now awakened Peeta.

"Do you know what you've done Peeta?" He glared.

"I won" The baker sighed.

"Are you blind!? Do you realize how much danger you've put all of us in?" Haymitch slammed his fist against the arm of the chair.

"What about Cato?" Peeta questioned, he didn't want to talk about his mistakes right now.

"Do you really care about him right now? I think you know the capitol is on his side" The drunk groaned.

"What do you mean?" Peeta cocked his head.

"You have to act like you're in love with him. Say you don't care about Katniss anymore, say that you love that career from two" Haymitch says with his voice filled with pain. Katniss was like a daughter to him, so that must have hurt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Peeta stood in the waiting room with Haymitch. The victor's interview was in five minutes and Peeta was nervous. Unsure of what to say.

"Remember Peeta, you love him. You've forgotten all about your feelings for the girl on fire, when he offered for you to be with him your heart skipped a beat" Haymitch spoke with a husky voice. He had obviously been drinking, as usual.

"Haymitch, what's going to happen?" The baker sighed.

"I don't know kid, I don't know" The drunk grumbled.

Before any of them could say another word the buzzer sounded which meant it was time for the interview.

"Good luck" The mentor mumbled as he walked away.

The baker made his way up on stage, the loud music and cheers of the crowd greeting him as he headed to the chair. Cato had already taken his seat.

"So Peeta, I'll get right to it. How did you feel when Cato offered you to be with him? It was truly a touching moment!" The host spoke with great enthusiasm.

"_Remember what Haymitch said"_ Peeta thought. The mentor's words played over and over in his mind. "I was, I was so honored. I felt like the happiest person in the world"The baker said with a false grin and pretended to blush. This caused the audience to 'aw'.

"So, what about you Cato, what made you first realize you wanted Peeta?" Ceaser turned and faced the brute.

"Well Ceaser, why do you think I let him join my group, I wanted him to belong to me" Cato said with a slight smirk, he raised his arm to around Peeta's shoulders and gripped his arm tightly. Which if course, sent the crowed wild with their cheers.

But then, Peeta wasn't expecting the next question. "So, how about we see a kiss?" The host flashed his pearly whites. The crowed began to cheer, "Kiss kiss kiss kiss!" They chanted over and over.

"_A what, a kiss!?" _Peeta was shocked, no. He didn't want to do this.

But the baker didn't have a choice; he felt Cato force him closer and placed his other hand on the shorter blonde's lap. It was only a few seconds before he felt their lips connect. The crowed shouts and screams, they are going wild. They love it.

So Peeta kisses back, he has to make it look believable, so he also closes his eyes.

He felt Cato smirk into the kiss, the brute loved it.

"The cross district lovers everyone!" Ceaser joins in cheering. The room falls silent as Cato is the first to pull away. He seemed completely unfazed aside from the cocky smile. But Peeta was as red as a tomato. "So Peeta, I just have to ask. What happened to you and the girl on fire?"

Those words, they hit the baker like a ton of bricks.

"I realized she wasn't the one for me" He spoke coldly.

The room falls silent, there are a few sympathetic sounds and glances but it doesn't last long.

"Well that's all we have time for! The cross district lovers from district two and district twelve!" Ceaser cheers, and the crowd screams once again as the two victors leave the stage.

As soon as they enter the corridor Effie runs over and drags Peeta away, from further down the corridor he heard Cato grumble.

"You have to be on your train in an hour! But they've let you keep some clothes so you better choose quickly!" Effie chirped as she dragged him further. They soon reached the elevator which lead to the apartments where the tributes stay.

It didn't take Peeta long to choose the ones he wanted to keep and then he was brought back downstairs to the lobby.

"Wait here a moment" Effie sighed before running off with the heels of her shoes slapping off the floor.

The blonde sighed and waited, he glanced around. He could see through the doors the camera's and capitol people already waiting for him to step outside.

But that was until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to be met by the terrifying sight of Cato.

"I just want to remind you twelve" He growled. "You belong to me; don't even dare go with anyone else. You are mine and only mine"

The baker was stunned once again, he wanted to fight back and shout 'No!' but he wouldn't risk it. Cato was far too strong for him.

"Got that?" The brute said with a deep glare.

"Fine" Peeta frowned.

The sound of Effie's heels hurriedly running over broke the tension as Peeta turned away to join the escort. Haymitch soon joined while nervously glancing at the large career.

Peeta, Effie and Haymitch made their way outside to the cameras and to the train. Everybody was cheering for Peeta, although some seemed disappointed he wasn't with Cato.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he got. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, and it definitely wasn't going to be good.

He could almost smell the roses and blood.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Peeta was on the train back to twelve. He just sat mindlessly watching the television. They were re-caps of the games, mostly the bloodbath and the first day so far.

Haymitch was sat further back, drinking his troubles away while staring out the window, as usual. They had only been on the train for an hour, and both were very aware the journey home took over a day. This was going to be a very long train ride.

The replays of the games brought memories for Peeta, like when he first joined the careers. They did a close up of Cato's face, and that's when Peeta noticed that only for a moment it dropped for a heavy frown, it looked like he almost took pity on Peeta.

The baker watched closely, he remembered the careers huddling up, talking and laughing while holding their weapons tight. But he never saw how every so often the brute would look up at Peeta.

Some things started to make sense now, and that it wasn't just an outburst that Cato wanted Peeta. It seemed to be going on for the whole games, but never made it obvious. Well, obvious to Peeta at least.

Then, the camera cut to Katniss, running through the woods, with the small girl from eleven following her in the trees. But Katniss seemed unaware of her.

Peeta sat motionless watching the replays for hours. Watching the re-caps for every tribute along with Claudius' commentary on each tribute, even the announcer mocking Peeta for fleeing the bloodbath. He just, sat and listened.

Night soon approached and the baker found his eye lids growing heavy. So he decided to shuffle to bed. He slowly stripped down and climbed into the familiar sheets, they brought him faint haunting memories of the trip to the capitol.

After those images finished dancing through the bakers brain his eyes finally closed and his body drifted into sleep.

_He found himself back at the cornucopia, Cato was charging at him and the mutts surrounded the structure._

"_Cato no!" Peeta cried as he felt the brute's fingers lock around his neck._

"_I'm going to win this, I'm going to bring pride to my district" Cato glared at the shorter blonde and walked over to the edge of the cornucopia while holding Peeta over the mutts._

"_Please, I'll do anything you want!" The baker pleaded, he wanted his life to be spared. He didn't want to die. He wanted to go home._

"_Goodbye twelve!" Cato laughed as he let go of Peeta. He felt himself falling into the crowd of hungry wolf mutts as he screamed for his life._

"Cato!" The baker screamed as he jolted up. He was covered in sweat and panting heavily. The man groaned, he turned to look out the window. The sun was up.

His bedroom door swung open and Haymitch stood barely sober in the doorway, "Get ready kid, we're almost home" The mentor said with a slur before staggering off.

Peeta quickly got dressed in the blue suit that he wore when he was crowd victor. Next he joined Haymitch in the next car and waited until they finally arrived back in district twelve.

As soon as the train stopped the air was filled with cheers as the blonde stepped out of the train. His eyes drifted through the crowed, and he spotted the few that weren't cheering.

His mother stood with a glare. Katniss' mother was looking sorry for herself, Prim was standing next to her, and the child looked broken beyond repair. But thankfully the two still looked fed. Behind those two stood Gale, who was glaring at Peeta. The hunter boy looked as if he would shoot the baker on the spot right there and then.

Peeta knew they all wanted Katniss to come home instead of him, it was either Katniss come back or neither of them. But of course, that changed.

But then the everyone was cleared and Peeta was escorted to his victor home. The long row filled with giant homes that he's never seen before. They all looked luxurious, as If they were taken right out of the capitol.

Peeta entered his new house. It finally hit him that he had this giant house all to himself. It made his stomach drop. No, all this space and things he didn't need all to himself. He couldn't accept it.

He would give anything to have someone here with him.

The blond decided to explore this manor he had, if he was going to be alone here he may as well know his way around. But, he could still hear his scream for Cato playing in the back of his mind. That cry, almost like a plead for him to be there.

"_I need a distraction"_ He groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Im so sorry for the very slow update, I've been having ALOT of problems with my laptop and stuff, if you ever want to ask me questions about it give me ideas feel free to send me an ask on tumblr (linked on my profile) or PM me although im faster reply on tumblr.**

Peeta had spent a month alone in his victor home in district twelve, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about being alone now. This big manor filled with things he didn't need.

He felt as if it ruined a person.

For days he would find himself wishing for any kind of company, and a few times he went back to his old house and bakery only to be shooed away by his mother. So he spent his hours baking at his own home and then giving them to his father to take back.

Every day was slow, lonely and the same. He needed the change he never knew he wanted. Something different.

But then the victory tour approached, it was only a week away and then people were rushing to his front door, for interviews and trying to sell him capitol products.

He still hadn't forgot about his charade that he had to pull, he had to talk about how much he missed the brute from two and that life was hard without him, which was sort of true. Peeta would often repeat the words he had endlessly practiced, "I miss him so much, it was a short time together but I'm just not the same" He would speak while grinning ear to ear.

But one interview was even more awkward for him, when they had a screen showing Cato and they interviewed them both; it was hard to keep up the act but he managed it, even when Cato was saying how much Peeta belonged to him and how he was looking forward to claiming him again.

It made Peeta feel like an object, a worthless object that would have one use and then thrown off to the side. Not the life he wanted to live. But then, since when did victors ever get a choice?

But today marked two days before the tour; and Peeta was nervous.

He slowly climbed out of bed and sluggishly made his way downstairs, expecting it to be the same as every other day.

But just as soon as he was about to enter the living room there was a knock on the door. So he ran to the giant double doors and yanked it open with a giant smile.

Until the familiar smell of blood and roses danced to his nose and his smile faded.

"Well hello there , its been quite some time hasn't it?" The voice of president snow echoed through his ears.

"S-snow!" Peeta backed away while the old man invited himself into the blondes house with two peacekeeprs following.

"Mind if I sit down?" The president said as he took a seat in the man's living room anyway. "Now, I have places to be so I'm going to get right to it, once victory tour starts you are going to be taking all of your possesions with you, you will be moving to district two, and live there for the rest of your days" Snow explained bluntly.

With that Peeta knew that his life was over, he was forced to move to district two, a place he had never been to live with a man who has 'claimed' him as if he was an item. "W-what?"

"Don't worry, after here I'm going to inform your family, you better start packing very soon Mr Mellark. I'm sure you will live a wonderful live" President snows lips curled into a coy smile. He knew fine well that he could be ruining Peeta's life, not that he cared. It was all about control and appearences. "I best be off now, good bye Mr Mellark" He stood up and headed back towards the front door. "Oh and also, congratulations, and" He paused where once again his lips twisted into a devilish smirk "Good luck"

A few hours past, Peeta couldn't fully register what had just happened. In just less than five minutes his life was set on course to change drasticly. He wasn't sure how to handle it; he had already downed half a bottle of alchol.

The blonde sat staring into nothing, while drinking little.

His life was going to change and he couldn't do anything about it and before he knew it he found himself packing, slowly and slowly his closets and cupboards were being pilled into suitcases, boxes and bags. Everything was slowly changing. The walls he had begun to know as home became bare and the closets he filled with clothes now empty.

Peeta's wish for companionship was coming true, but not in the way that he wanted. He wanted someone caring, and loving or at least a friend. Not, the monster from two. Not him, anything but him.

And now, today was the day of the victory tour. He was going to have to see _him _again.


End file.
